1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an improved safety skirt for industrial lift apparatus used for assembly, equipment handling and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many industrial facilities use power driven lift apparatus, such as lift tables, for parts assembly, equipment handling and other purposes. Lift tables typically include an upper table top unit that provides a work surface. The table top is mounted to a lower base or footer unit that is typically the same size and shape as the table top. These components are connected via a linkage that is driven by a power actuating system mounted on the base. The table is equipped with a control system that allows manufacturing personnel to actuate the linkage in order to raise and lower the table top. In some table models, the table top can also be tilted and/or rotated.
Industrial safety laws mandate that a color-coded safety skirt be mounted to the aforementioned lift tables so as to extend from the periphery of the upper table top to the periphery of the lower base, in order to completely cover and enclose the movable linkage and drive actuating components. Safety skirts that have been employed to date are formed as accordion shaped flexible covers that are most often made from thin laminated vinyl. These prior art safety skirts are assembled using a combination of gluing, heat sealing and sewing techniques, such that a series of continuous horizontal pleats are formed around the periphery of the table. This construction provides a barrier to the interior linkage and drive actuating components, while allowing the skirt to flexibly follow the movement of the table.
A principal disadvantage of the prior art safety skirts is that they usually only last a few months before beginning to fail. A second disadvantage is that the lift table must usually be disassembled in order to mount a new safety skirt. A third disadvantage is that the prior art safety skirts cannot withstand impacts from sharp objects, such as forklifts. A fourth disadvantage is that the prior art safety skirts can rarely break a human fall or prevent body portions from entering the danger zone between the upper table top and the lower base unit. A fifth disadvantage is that, if any portion of the prior art safety skirts are damaged, the entire skirt must be replaced. A sixth disadvantage is that the prior art safety skirts are essentially designed using two-dimensional construction techniques but are expected to perform while moving in three dimensions. Accordingly, an improved safety skirt is needed that overcomes the foregoing deficiencies.